The present invention relates generally to firearms safeties and more particularly to a firing pin block for a pistol.
Various types of firing pin blocks are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,138 for xe2x80x9cFIRING PIN MECHANISM BLOCKING SYSTEMxe2x80x9d, assigned to Colt""s Manufacturing Company, Inc., discloses a safety mechanism for a firearm to prevent the firearm from firing except when the trigger has been moved to a predetermined position. The mechanism includes a plunger and a blocker. The blocker is movably mounted to the slide at a position in front of a striker to prevent the striker from moving forward to strike a cartridge. The plunger is movably mounted to a portion of the frame and is adapted to be moved by the trigger. The plunger, in turn, is adapted to move the blocker to allow a clear path for the striker to move forward to strike a cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,963 for xe2x80x9cPISTOL MECHANISM FOR BLOCKING FIRING PINxe2x80x9d, assigned to Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc., discloses a frame-mounted firing pin blocking piece for blocking a semi-automatic pistol firing pin which blocking piece is rotated to its unblocking position by action of a trigger bar which bar is in turn positioned by the trigger and the firearm slide. A sear associated with the firing pin blocking piece permits such operation in single action, double action and re-set modes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,955 for xe2x80x9cFIRING PIN LOCKING DEVICE AND METHODxe2x80x9d, assigned to Colt Industries Operating Corporation, discloses a semiautomatic pistol having a frame which supports a barrel and breech-slide for chambering a cartridge in the breech end of the barrel and extracting a spent cartridge. The breech-slide carries an inertia type firing pin which is displaced to fire a chambered cartridge by a hammer pivotally mounted upon the frame. A trigger bar, mounted upon a trigger displaces a sear to release the hammer when the trigger is pulled. A breech-slide operated disconnect causes pivoting of the trigger bar as the breech-slide recoils to allow the sear to snap back to a position in which it can engage the searing surface of the hammer when the breech-slide moves forwardly.
In the ""955 patent a firing pin lock is biased to a position where the pin is free to travel under the impetus of a falling hammer. The upper surface of a pivotally mounted shell ejector normally engages the firing pin lock to maintain it in a position where the firing pin is locked. When the trigger is pulled to release the cocked hammer, the trigger bar simultaneously pivots the ejector out of engagement with the firing pin lock, which action unlocks the firing pin. The pivoting of the trigger bar by the disconnect frees the ejector from the trigger bar, allowing a spring to return the ejector to its former position in which the firing pin will be locked as the breech-slide moves forwardly into battery position. This arrangement prevents accidental discharge of the firearm by displacement of the firing pin as may be occasioned by dropping the firearm on the muzzle end or on the hammer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,748 for xe2x80x9cFIREARMxe2x80x9d, assigned to ITM Industrial Technology and Machines AG., discloses a locking plunger which is perpendicularly movable relative to the direction of movement of the firing pin to allow or prevent the axial movement of the firing pin to fire the gun. This locking plunger is spring biased to abut a safety lever which is part of the sear of the operating members of the gun. The safety lever is located and arranged such on the sear that it allows a movement of the locking plunger into the firing pin unlocking position upon the operating members of the gun reaching the end of the trigger slack. Accordingly a movement of the locking plunger into the unlocking position will proceed not earlier than the sear snapping into the firing position. Any other accidental limited movements of the operating parts of the gun including such of the hammer cannot cause an axial movement of the firing pin because such movement is positively prevented by the locking plunger. Therefore, an accidental firing of the gun is positively prevented.
A common element in each of these firing pin block designs is that they are trigger actuated and therefore may affect trigger pull. For precision shooting, where a crisp even trigger pull is critical, such designs are particularly disadvantageous.
Also disclosed in the prior art are firing pin blocks actuated by a grip safety, such as the grip safety shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,612 for xe2x80x9cGRIP SAFETY FOR PISTOLxe2x80x9d. The ""612 patent discloses a pistol safety catch and release mechanism for selectively restraining a firing pin in its inoperative position until released by a lever and linkage mechanism operatively mounted in the handgrip of the pistol. In one version, a vertical movable sear is moved into and out of a blocking position with respect to the firing pin that is moved between these positions by the pivotal action of a grip lever pivotally carried at one end to the handgrip. An intermediate link includes a slot through which a pin travels carried on the grip lever causing the intermediate link to pivot. An end of the intermediate link fits into a notch on a slide bar so that the slide bar moves back and forth in response to actuation of the grip lever via the intermediate link. The sear moves to its blocking position when on top of the slide bar while in its non-blocking or release position when occupying an end notch in the slide bar.
The mechanical linkage of the grip safety disclosed in the ""612 patent is relatively complex, having both an intermediate link and a slide bar.
The present invention provides a mechanism to block the accidental firing of a firearm. A two position spring loaded plunger is continuously placed between the firing pin and a chambered round except when the firearm is in use and the grip safety is fully depressed. Plunger motion is controlled by a lever activated by a standard grip safety.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a firing pin block for single action pistols that does not compromise trigger pull. This objective is accomplished by employing the grip safety rather than the trigger to control the position of the plunger.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a simplified firing pin block that does not compromise trigger pull.